“Showtime” entered the UFC in 2011 with a four-fight winning
streak, ESPN mainstream credibility and the promise of a 155-pound
title shot in his back pocket. As the last
World Extreme Cagefighting champion and a YouTube sensation,
the timing seemed perfect to introduce Pettis to the larger
audience of the Las Vegas-based promotion as the challenger to the
Frankie
Edgar-Gray
Maynard winner following UFC 125.

As it turned out, the conflict between Edgar and Maynard took
nearly nine rounds and 10 months to resolve. In the meantime,
Pettis agreed to a bout against Clay Guida at
“The Ultimate Fighter 13” Finale in June 2011. Pettis’ title hopes
were smothered by the top control of “The Carpenter” that summer, a
fact which continues to irk supporters of the
Roufusport representative to this day.

Undeterred, Pettis gradually worked his way back up the mountain.
He out-Guida-ed the heavy-handed Jeremy
Stephens at UFC 136 -- the same card where Edgar and Maynard
concluded their trilogy -- before returning to his customary
“Showtime” form with spectacular knockouts against Joe Lauzon and
Donald
Cerrone in his next two outings.

With that, Pettis had regained the No. 1 contender status he had
received upon first joining the UFC. However, just like two years
ago, he was told to wait. Another crossover champion, former
Strikeforce
ruler Gilbert
Melendez, had already been given dibs on current 155-pound
titlist Benson
Henderson, the man Pettis had defeated at the WEC’s farewell
event in December 2011.

Sherdog.com File Photo

Lamas was bypassed at 145 pounds.

As a newcomer to the promotion two years ago,
Pettis risked losing his good standing by waiting out the
Edgar-Maynard saga, so he took a risk and fought Guida. This time,
he had the clear blessing of UFC President Dana White if he wanted
to remain on the sidelines until his name was called. Pettis, of
course, is no longer naive enough to believe that a guaranteed
title shot is actually guaranteed. A close, controversial decision
between Henderson and Melendez is all it would take to further
delay Pettis’ chance at lightweight glory once more.

“At this point, the belt’s been avoiding me,” Pettis told the
Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show after dispatching Cerrone
at UFC on Fox 6. “I’m tired of chasing after it. I’m tired of
waiting and putting my career on hold. I just turned 26. I think
I’m going to be entering my prime here in the next couple of years.
I want to take full advantage of that. I just want to make sure
that it’s official and no matter what happens [between Henderson
and Melendez] -- a draw, a close decision, no one’s going to cry
about the decision -- that I’m next no matter what.”

Ultimately, Pettis took matters into his own hands. With his
crushing liver kick of Cerrone on national television having
elevated his stock to a point not seen since he launched himself
off the cage for the “Showtime” kick at WEC 53, Pettis angled for a
shot at featherweight champion Jose Aldo. It
did not take long for White to grant the fighter his wish: Pettis
texted the UFC boss after Aldo’s win over Edgar at UFC 156 on Feb.
3, and, two days later, an Aug. 3 date was set for the matchup.

While some might question the logic behind Pettis’ choice -- he
will spend half a year waiting for the bout, after all -- there is
no one between he and Aldo. By dropping a weight class, Pettis is
finally at the front of the line. As for the difference between
potentially facing a man he has already beaten once in Henderson
and a man who has not lost to anyone since 2005 in Aldo, Pettis is
aware of the risk involved.

“To me, Aldo’s a tougher fight,” Pettis said on Fuel TV. “That’s
why I asked for it. He’s one of those guys going through his
opponents like crazy. He just beat the last 155-pound champ. I
think Aldo’s the tougher challenge for me. I beat Ben Henderson
once, and I think I'm going to be doing it again soon, but, right
now, I think Aldo’s the guy that’s on the radar.”

These days, it appears that a few ticks left or right on the scale
is all that separates a contender from a chance at UFC gold.
Although his move to featherweight came with great reticence, Edgar
was granted an immediate title shot against Aldo once he cut from
155 pounds. Chael Sonnen
will vie for Jon Jones’
light heavyweight crown at UFC
159, and like Edgar, he gets the opportunity after consecutive
title losses at a previous weight class. If heavyweight Daniel
Cormier decides that cutting to 205 pounds is more desirable
than facing
American Kickboxing Academy teammate Cain
Velasquez down the road, he could also get the Sonnen
treatment. Had Rashad
Evans not offered such a tepid performance against Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira, it’s conceivable he could have been
middleweight kingpin Anderson
Silva’s next foe.

With that in mind, it’s difficult to blame Pettis for following the
trend. When a prominent fighter changes weight classes, the
presence of a fresh face in the division generates excitement. If
Pettis-Aldo isn’t quite a super fight, it sure feels like a super
fight, which is something you cannot say about Aldo versus the rest
of the featherweight field.

That brings us to the Ricardo Lamases and Chan Sung Jungs of the
world, those who have been toiling away only to see Pettis get the
VIP treatment despite a nonexistent 145-pound resume. Sometimes,
simply winning is not enough. However, if you can spare 10 pounds,
the bantamweight division is looking for a few good men.